The fire was lit, chasing away the coldness. They didn't relax, but their eyes were fervently fixed on Yang Tianxing.

Yang Tianxing knew what they were thinking, so he opened his attribute panel, which read:

Player: Yang Tianxing (deserted island mode). Started a flame and became the tenth player to successfully start a fire, gaining the title: Beginner Flame Controller, Level 0 (0/10), +2 Flame Affinity.

"How come it's only this much?" Yang Tianxing frowned, a little disappointed.

"It should be because we were too late. Didn't you guys notice that the game didn't announce that we succeeded in starting a fire? It seems like there were already about ten people who succeeded in starting a fire ahead of us. I noticed that only Ye Jun managed to rise one level directly, plus the Fireball bonus. The second and third people only gained five points of Flame Affinity and ten points of Strength. The others didn't receive any additional bonuses either."

"This should be just like in normal games, who gets the first clear gets the most rewards!" said Yang Chengcheng.

"Wouldn't that be too much of a loss? After all the stuff we've spent to light a fire!" complained Yang Yiming.

"It's not a loss, this is what we need; we need to make a fire to keep warm. And, your Flame Affinity allows you to absorb Fire Energy to cultivate. It'll only take ten days to cultivate level 1 Fire Energy to cast Fireball and become a Mage. It's not a loss in any way." Yang Chengcheng smiled cunningly. "What's more, we can also use this lighter to trade for supplies!"

"Let's each have a go and light a fire to unlock the Fire Energy and Flame Affinity!"

…

"Chengcheng, you go first!"

Yang Chengcheng didn't hesitate; she opened her attribute panel after lighting a fire.

Then, they lit several bonfires one after the other, which had been prepared long before.

"My Flame Affinity only increased by one."

"Mine too!"

The others looked at each other; their results were the same.

Only Yang Chengcheng said with some surprise, "My Flame Affinity increased by one, but I awakened the Body of Fire Energy, and my Fire Energy absorption ability is twice that of ordinary players, and it seems to have a growth attribute!"

"This wasn't a loss. Put up the lighter for trading and get some food back!"

…

Ye Jun didn't know this! But even if he knew, he wouldn't care.

Level one Fire Energy only required ten points of Fire Energy; a player with one point in Flame Affinity would only take ten days.

However, a level two Fire Energy required a hundred points of Fire Energy; and even he—who had a flame Affinity of ten—would need ten days. A normal person would need a hundred days to upgrade to level two.

By the same reasoning, it would probably take a thousand points of Fire Energy to upgrade to level three!

They probably wouldn't be as excited when they found out that they could only manifest a lighter-sized fireball after a painstaking upgrade!

At this time, dusk was getting close in the ice field near the Arctic Circle, but the ocean where Ye Jun was in was still bright and sunny.

He had been floating for hours and was about to experience dehydration symptoms.

If Yang Tianxing would have delayed any more than he had, Ye Jun would have opted to trade with someone else.

Ye Jun first took a bottle of water and a piece of bread from his Inventory, then ravenously finished all of it.

'Refreshing!'

After eating and drinking enough, Ye Jun began to take out the wood and vines he had just traded for from his Inventory.

He wanted to reinforce his small raft.

That small raft only had a ten square meter area; it felt as if it would be scattered by the waves at any moment.

Ye Jun selected the thick logs and fixed them around the raft with vines, then reinforced them with some thinner timber, spreading them over the gaps.

The entire raft's surface area had then become more than twice its original size.

Although still small in the vast ocean, he wouldn't have to worry about rolling in his sleep and falling into the sea.

Then, Ye Jun took out the stones.

The stones, selected as Ye Jun had requested, were all of the flat-shaped kind.

Ye Jun wanted to build a place to start a fire.

He couldn't just light a flame on the raft, as the raft would soon burn up.

Ye Jun intended to use those stones to build a small fireplace.

After setting a layer of stones on the bottom to separate the fire from the raft, a small square foot fireplace was built.

That way, he wouldn't have to worry about the raft burning down.

Ye Jun used dry branches and leaves to light the fireplace, and despite the hot daylight overhead, he didn't feel hot.

A stream of flaming energy was sucked into his body.

Ye Jun laid leisurely on the raft, watching the sunset in the west and the stars shift as he drifted off to sleep.

But, compared to Ye Jun's leisurely night…

That night was a great test for countless players.

The cold was deadly for many of them. Especially the ice field players, who simply couldn't make it through the night without a fire.

Even players in deserted island mode and wilderness mode didn't need to worry about the cold for a while, but the loneliness, fear, worry about food, and uncertainty about the future could be a great torment inside.

Some were crying in secret and some were cursing god for being unjust! Anything from the past was long gone. Some were taking stock of supplies and figuring out how to survive the following day.

This game…

Whether it be the rich, businessmen, employees, farmers, or other kinds of people… Everyone started from scratch.

For people living in the modern world, this survival conditions became an unprecedented torture.

And it wasn't just a game; people could die.

The fear of death forced many of the participant's spirits to the verge of rupture.

The next morning, Ye Jun woke up to the moist sea breeze.

After opening the attribute panel, he found a change in the Fire Energy level as expected.

Player Ye Jun (death mode)

Titles obtained: Beginner Flame Controller

Fire Energy Level: 1 (10/100)

Flame Affinity: 10 (You can absorb 10 points of Fire Energy per day.)

Skills: Fireball (level 1)

Endurance: 70, Speed: 80, Strength: 130.

The Fire Energy had grown by ten points, and in nine more days, he would be able to reach level two.

However, Ye Jun didn't have much hope for the so-called Fire Energy control.

A lighter-sized fire, even if doubled in size, how big could it be? Besides, he was at sea, where fire Mage were practically useless.

The check-in system was what made Ye Jun survive and stay strong!

"The system has been refreshed, do you want to check in?"

'Check in!'

"Congratulations to the host for obtaining the magical fishing rod!"

Item: Indecent Fishing Rod. (You don't need bait to fish, but you'll always catch something strange!)

Ye Jun looked at the fishing rod with the line reel in his hand and felt that it looked a bit like the rod he had played with before.

The rod that cost him more than three thousand yuan didn't fall short whenever he cast it. It had caught shorts, flip flops, dead branches, rotten plastic—everything but fish.

With a skillful swing of the rod, Ye Jun cast the hook out 20 to 30 meters away.

When it was almost a few dozen meters down, Ye Jun started reeling in the line!

Suddenly…

The line tightened. A hit?

Ye Jun rejoiced as he quickly reeled in the rest of the line.

But he was shocked speechless upon seeing what was pulled out of the water.

Who the f**k discarded a doll?

A lifelike, real sized doll made of solid silicone.

It's amazing that something like this can be fished up in this ocean!

Whatever!

No use keeping it. Let's put it up for trade to see if anyone needs it.

Ye Jun placed the doll up for trading and posted a message.

"Realistic doll, built from high-grade silicone, fresh from the sea. Absolutely unused, buy it now!"

A number of gamers had kept an eye on Ye Jun ever since he became the first Flame Controller.

Many people couldn't help themselves; they laughed wildly when they saw Ye Jun's trade message.

"Dude, is it really death mode where you're staying? It seems a bit indecent compared to the other death mode player!"

"I can't believe death mode has dolls!"

"Dude, you really didn't use it? I don't believe it!"

"How about a piece of bread for that? I don't think I'll live much longer and I want to get some before I die!"

…

Yang Tianxing and his group staying on the deserted island at the edge of the polar region saw Ye Jun's trade offer and thought there was something good again, but they ended up remaining speechless for a while after seeing the trade item.

"I told you before, this guy is definitely not a decent guy!"

"Who in their right mind would choose death mode!"

…